Assessment of the quality of a software application for the prevention of skin lesions in newborns*

Objective:

to assess the technical quality of a mobile application to support the nurse’s decision to prevent skin lesions in hospitalized newborns, according to the Product Quality Model.

Method:

a methodological study for technological assessment. The 20 evaluators, divided into two groups, 10 nurses and 10 information technology professionals, used the software, conducted tests based on two case studies, and evaluated six features and 23 sub-features of quality. The assessment was conducted by means of an online form. Data was analyzed through a specific formula and the items that obtained a concordance percentage over 70% were considered adequate.

Results:

the concordance percentages of the features in the groups of nurses and of information technology specialists were the following: functional adequacy (100%-98.9%), reliability (90%-100%), usability (93.2-85%), performance efficiency (100%-100%), compatibility (97.5-90%), and safety (94%-91%). In the assessment of the sub-features, only accessibility presented a percentage value below the desired one (70%-60%).

Conclusion:

the software has excellent technical quality to meet the needs of nurses in planning the care for the prevention of skin lesions of hospitalized newborns, brings important advances to neonatal care, contributes to the work process, expands knowledge, and promotes the professional’s clinical reasoning.

Descriptors:
Neonatal Nursing; Infant, Newborn; Skin; Nursing Care; Mobile Applications; Technology Assessment, Biomedical